Something Hidden
by HibiscusAngel15
Summary: Tobey just can't shake the feeling that Becky is WordGirl, no matter how many times he's been proven wrong before. The only question is of how to prove it.
1. The Secret Identity Dilemma

**A/N: Hey there! I'm not exactly new to the WordGirl fandom, but I am new to writing for it. This is, in fact, my first fic for this fandom. Hey, I liked the show, so I thought I'd take a shot at writing about it. :)**

**Anyway, this entire fic idea was inspired by my little sister with her vivid imagination and unlimited excitability. She's the one who got me into WordGirl in the first place. This entire fic is dedicated to her. ****This first chapter was her actually her Christmas present...**

**And to all my regular readers wondering what the heck I'm doing writing a fanfic for a kids' show instead of a fic for an anime (like Bleach, for example): Hey, I bet you like some weird things too and don't think it at all strange. So, don't judge me for writing something totally unexpected from someone who's only written anime fanfics before. People will like what they like.**

**Hope you all enjoy! Please remember to review afterwards! Thanks in advance!**

**Disclaimer: WordGirl isn't mine, sadly. And neither is this fanart that I use for this cover! This fanart belongs to the awesome superstarwordgirl! She makes some of the best WordGirl fanart! Especially great Tobecky and Sciolet fanart. X3**

* * *

**Chapter One:**

**The Secret Identity Dilemma**

**(Psst! Listen for the words _expose_ and _infatuate_)**

"It's a peaceful afternoon in our city," the Narrator announced in his usual way. "Hey, it's a little _too_ peaceful if you ask me. Where are all the villains?"

The Narrator turned the page of his script. "Oh! Ahem, here it is! …They're all at a villains' convention?! Huh…how…convenient…. What are we going to do about this episode then?!" he wondered incredulously.

He flipped the page again. "Oh…. Heh heh. It says Tobey couldn't go because he's still grounded for that whole 'Win a Day with WordGirl' incident…. Maybe I'll just keep reading the script instead of asking pointless questions…."

The Narrator cleared his throat and began again, "At Tobey's bedroom lair…."

Theodore McCallister the Third paced his room, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration and hands behind his back. He muttered under his breath, not noticing the Narrator was in his room. "Um…Tobey?" he wondered, startling the boy genius.

Tobey glared at his ceiling and grumbled, "What? What do you want? I am in the middle of devising an evil plot!"

"Seriously? Again?"

"What do you mean 'seriously'? I am _quite_ serious about my evil plots!" he snapped, adjusting his glasses.

"I think you might be too infatuated with the idea of winning to realize how they never work," the Narrator muttered.

Tobey scowled. "They do work…occasionally." He shook his head and pointed at the ceiling. "Anyway, this plan _will_ work! I _will_ expose WordGirl's secret identity! Then she'll _have_ to get ice-cream with me! If she doesn't, then she'll force me to tell all the villains, her family, and her friends who she really is!" He cackled in delight at his plan.

"It sounds to me that you're just infatuated with WordGirl…."

Tobey's face turned pink. "I am _not_ infatuated with WordGirl!" he growled, stomping his foot and clenching his hands into fists.

"Then why is there a WordGirl doll on your bed?" the Narrator asked slyly.

Tobey's face became bright red as he rushed over to his bed, quickly picking up the doll. "This?! It's just here for…practicing clever comebacks!" he exclaimed then glared at the WordGirl plush. "Prepare to be destroyed, WordGirl! Your…cute expressions and your…sparkling eyes have no effect on me! Take this!"

He threw the stuffed plush for emphasis. It landed next to him with a squeak. Tobey put his hands on his hips and said triumphantly, "See?"

"Huh…I still think you're infatuated with her," he teased.

The boy genius frowned and shouted, "Will you get out of here, you aggravating voice?"

"Well, fine. I can tell when I'm not wanted." The Narrator stomped away, though the camera still focused on Tobey.

He looked side-to-side then hastily scooped up the WordGirl doll. "Oh my goodness, I am so sorry! I won't ever do that again!" he whispered as he hugged it to his chest.

Tobey pulled it away to look at it then frowned when he stared into its button eyes. "Don't look at me like that! I still think you're the cutest superheroine ever!" The doll continued to smile silently. He hugged it again and muttered, "You just can't stop being adorable, can you? When I expose your secret identity, we'll have ice-cream every day and then you'll be mine!"

He sighed contently then put the doll back on his bed. "And now…." He pointed in the air dramatically. "To expose WordGirl once and for all!"

* * *

"Later, at the Botsford home…" the Narrator said, switching scenes quickly. "Becky Botsford is watching another episode of her favorite show, _The Pretty Princess and Magic Pony Power Hour_."

Becky sat at the edge of her seat, her hands clasped together as she stared wide-eyed at the screen. The Pretty Princess had thrown a masquerade ball to celebrate her birthday party, and everyone in the land had been invited. Everyone, that is, except for the wicked Count Cloudy, who, angered that he was ignored, decided to go there in disguise.

Pretty Princess, recognizing everyone at the party save for him, ordered him to take off his mask. When he refused, she strolled over and reached toward him with a dainty hand to remove it.

"Will Pretty Princess expose the masked man's true identity? Find out after this commercial break!" a voice interrupted as a picture of the masked Count Cloudy was shown on the screen.

Becky frowned and yelled in frustration, "Oh man! Pretty Princess was just about to expose the masked man as Count Cloudy!"

Her monkey-sidekick, Bob, turned his head and squeaked in confusion. Becky, being the only person who understood him, glanced at him and replied, "Oh, well, _expose_ means to reveal or to make something known. Like just earlier, Pretty Princess was going to _expose_ Count Cloudy by taking off his mask."

Bob smiled and nodded with a grateful squeak. Just then, the doorbell rang. Becky sat up straight and shouted eagerly, "I'll get it!"

She shot up from her chair and hurried to the door. She unlocked it and swung it open, her eyes widening when she saw who it was. "Tobey?" she wondered with distaste. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Said boy genius chuckled and answered, "Why, hello there, Becky. Or should I say, _WordGirl_!" He had a rather large grin stretched across his face and it both irritated and frightened her.

Becky scowled and said, "Look, we've been through this, what, twice? And how many of those times did WordGirl defeat your robots?"

Tobey furrowed his eyebrows and muttered, "Well, twice, but that's not the point! The point is I'm here to expose you once and for all!"

"Pfft, good luck with _that_. I'll humor you; what's your 'proof' this time?" she wondered with a smirk, quoting proof with her fingers.

He glared at her and demanded, pointing at her, "Don't you mock me! I have solid proof this time!"

"Really?" Becky asked doubtfully. "What?"

Tobey crossed his arms. "You're the only person in town with a pet monkey," he replied seriously.

The plucky superheroine raised an eyebrow. "That's it? That's all ya got?" Bob snickered behind her.

He blinked at her lack of reaction then stuttered, his cheeks becoming pink, "N-No! I also have this!" He stuffed his hand in his pocket and brought out a tape recorder. Tobey smiled evilly then pressed the PLAY button.

"_…What a pleasant surprise!_" Tobey's voice sounded from the tape.

"_You and your devoted robots _really_ outsmarted me this time!_" a familiar voice commended.

"Is that…WordGirl?" Becky wondered, tilting her head, just as Tobey paused the recording.

"Why yes. How very perceptive of you!" he complimented sarcastically. "I wonder how you could tell so quickly…."

Becky paused, realizing what he was getting at. "Oh, well, it's because…I talk to WordGirl _a lot_. Yeah, we chat almost every day after she patrols the city."

Tobey raised an eyebrow. "Hm, yes, I'm sure you do…" he muttered. He cleared his throat and pressed FORWARD on his recorder. "Now _this_ is a recording of _you_ from last week, when you kept boasting to me about how smart you are," he added, sounding annoyed.

The boy genius stopped the tape then clicked the PLAY button. "Ha! You _really_ think you can outsmart me this time, Tobey? Good luck," her voice challenged from the tape, followed by her laughter. Her eye twitched when she heard herself snort. She hated when she did that.

Tobey paused the tape. "Do you find it strange that you two sound an _awful_ lot alike? You even have the same adorable laugh!" he shouted while pointing at her.

Becky clenched her hands into fists. "We do no–Wait, did you just say my laugh is _adorable_?"

He blinked and recovered hastily, "No, I didn't. I said, uh, deplorable! Yes, your laugh is completely deplorable!"

Becky frowned. "Hey, that's not very nice!"

Tobey smiled. "Well, I'm not a very nice person, in case you hadn't noticed. I am an evil boy genius bent on the destruction of this city and world domination! And I'll crush _anyone_ who gets in my way! Including you, WordGirl!"

She sighed in disgust. "Look, for the last time, I'm not WordGirl! If I was, I'm pretty sure my family and friends would've figured _that_ out by now! I'm terrible at keeping secrets!" she exclaimed, waving dismissively at him.

"Spout whatever lies you want! But unless I see with my own two eyes that you and WordGirl are not the same person, I will not stop until I prove I'm right!" the boy genius yelled, waving a finger in the air.

"If the fact that you think Bob is Captain Huggyface and that WordGirl and I sound alike is all you have, then maybe you should just go home, Tobey," she advised, starting to close her front door. Bob waved goodbye to him, smiling brightly.

Tobey slammed his hand against it, stopping it from closing. "Hm, trying to get rid of me? This makes you look even more suspicious, Becky," he noted with narrowed eyes.

Becky put her hands on her hips. "I'm trying to get rid of you because you keep accusing me of being WordGirl!" she yelled, exasperated with all of this. "You claimed you had solid proof, but all you have are silly speculations."

Tobey smiled, leaning forward with his hands behind his back. "Oooh, _speculations_, hm? Nice choice of words. Further evidence that you are indeed WordGi—"

"Just because my vocabulary happens to be widely-ranged doesn't mean anything! I'm just smart," Becky stated, examining her nails.

Tobey raised an eyebrow, clearly doubting her. "Not smarter than _this_ boy genius, let me assure you. I highly doubt _you_ understand even the blueprints of a giant robut!"

She crossed her arms and questioned, not even attempting to hide her sarcasm, "Why do you even go to elementary school still if you're _so intelligent_?"

He blushed and grumbled, "Because my mother wants me to be around people my age, even if I keep telling her that everyone at my school is an imbecile." He blinked and straightened immediately. "Don't change the subject!"

Becky leaned against her doorpost. "Not my fault you got distracted. Besides, even if I _was_ WordGirl, which I'm not, how would you expose what she's managed to keep hidden for years?"

"Like this." Tobey pushed her aside to storm into her house. He looked around and spotted the stairs, which he proceeded to stroll to.

Becky stumbled backward then found her balance again. She turned to glare at him and shouted in irritation, "Tobey! You can't just barge into my house like that!"

He paused climbing the steps and looked back at her. "Oh, can't I?" he wondered then chuckled to himself. He then continued up the stairs while humming what sounded like the _WordGirl_ theme song.

"Ugh! Bob, there isn't anything in my room that can connect me to being WordGirl, right?" she whispered to her monkey-sidekick.

Bob tapped a finger to his chin and thought hard. After a few seconds, he shrugged, squeaking something that might've been an "I don't know".

She frowned then stood up straight, steeling her resolve to get Tobey out of her house. "You think Emergency Plan Number Forty-Seven will work on him again?" she suggested, smirking.

The monkey furrowed his eyebrows and threw his hands into the air with a squeak of protest, shaking his head from side-to-side. He did _not_ want to dress up as WordGirl and feel ridiculous again. Becky sighed. "I thought you wouldn't be up for it…. Fine! Then we'll have to figure out another way to get him to leave!"

She glanced at the stairs with determination. "Okay, c'mon, Bob!"

* * *

"What dull ornaments," Tobey commented, picking up one of Becky's prized ceramic unicorns and staring at it. He set it down and looked at her bookcase. "Although, I must say, she has good taste in books. _The Princess Triana _series, _Romeo and Juliet_…. Hm, what's this one?" he wondered aloud as he raised an eyebrow.

It was a worn-out green book, the golden title chipped away so he couldn't make heads or tails of what it could be. It seemed to be the oldest among all the books there. Carefully, he slipped it off the shelf and began to examine its contents.

"Tobey! Get out of my room! You have no right to be here!" Becky shouted furiously. Bob stood next to her, glaring at Tobey with his arms crossed. He nodded at what Becky said and let out a demanding squeak.

The boy genius flinched and the book dropped from his hands. Becky looked at the fallen book and gasped, "My Perfect Learners' Dictionary!" She rushed to one of her favorite dictionaries with a distressed expression. Tobey stared intently, a smile growing on his face.

"Hm, you seem to care an _awful lot_ about dictionaries, Becky," Tobey commented aloud, taking note of her looking over her book to make sure it wasn't damaged and her carefully placing it back on her shelf.

"Well, of _course_ I do! I mean, it's one of the first dictionaries I've ever read!" she replied, forgetting herself despite Bob's frantic waving. She paused then slapped a hand to her head. "Oh…."

Tobey chuckled at this, shaking his head. "Becky, Becky, Becky." He spoke as if she were much smaller than she really was. "When are you going to admit that _you're _WordGirl? Enough games. I've exposed you!"

The plucky superheroine began to sweat and scanned the room anxiously to find something to distract him. She couldn't find anything, so she blurted out, "Well…why don't you send a few of your robots out into the city and see for yourself that I am _not _WordGirl, only a regular girl who's infatuated with words." She glanced at Bob to secretly tell him to get TJ's _WordGirl _action figure again, but she noticed he looked puzzled.

Just then, the monkey squeaked twice and she knew he had no idea what infatuated meant. "Oh, to be _infatuated_ means to be completely carried away by a strong love or affection. Like how I'm _infatuated_ with words or how Tobey is _infatuated_ with WordGirl."

Tobey's eyes widened and his face became hot. "What? N-No, I'm not!" He laughed nervously as he pulled at his collar. "D-Don't be silly! I'm not infatuated with that overrated, not-as-smart-as-me superhero!"

"Yes, you are," the Narrator cut in.

Tobey glared at the ceiling and yelled, "No, I'm not! And nobody asked you!"

"It's sort of cute when you keep denying it," the Narrator teased, making the boy genius blush even more.

He stomped his foot and yelled in indignation, "Cute?! I, Theodore McCallister the Third, am _not_ cute, and I most certainly am _not_ infatuated with WordGirl!"

Becky and Bob had been giggling as they watched the little argument, which Tobey only began to notice. "What are you two laughing at? I demand you stop at once!"

"Well…it's just…so funny…the way you keep…denying it…" she managed to breathe out between laughs.

Tobey scowled at this and decided he'd had enough of people mocking him. He snatched one of Becky's prized unicorns off her shelf, stomped to her open window, and dangled it outside.

Becky gasped and immediately stopped laughing. She straightened up and screamed, "What are you doing?!"

The boy genius smirked at her reaction and questioned smoothly, "Well, what does it look like, WordGirl?"

Becky paid no attention to the fact that she was referred to as her alter ego and cried out, "Angelface has been broken several times already! Please just give him back to me!"

Tobey smirked, sensing that he was going to win. "Interesting that you didn't deny you were WordGirl _that_ time…."

Bob's eyes widened at this. He hadn't caught the sneaky trick either and frowned at the boy genius. Sure, Becky would sometimes blurt out things she shouldn't about being WordGirl, but this was different. Tobey was using one of her precious unicorns against her, something the monkey saw as desperately low.

Just then, an idea popped into his head and he walked out of the room. This went unnoticed by the two children, who continued their little standoff.

The plucky superheroine tensed for a moment then denied, "I am _not_ WordGirl! I don't know how many times I have to say it! Now give me back my unicorn, Tobey!"

She took a step towards him and he let it slip just a bit. She put her hands over her mouth, muffling a gasp. It felt as if her heart nearly dropped when she thought he was going to let Angelface shatter into pieces.

"Please…" she muttered, almost too low for anyone to hear. However, even without super-hearing, he had heard her.

Tobey raised an eyebrow, a little bewildered that she cared so much for what he saw as a fragile piece of junk. Sure, it was possibly a fine…decoration, but c'mon, a prized possession? What could possibly be so special about a ceramic unicorn, whose only purpose was to forever have a cheesy plastered smile on its face?

While he stood there struggling to comprehend Becky's fascination with unicorns, someone had snatched said object right from his hands. Tobey blinked rapidly and peered out the window in astonishment. Bob stood on the roof, clutching the unicorn with a satisfied smirk at the boy's expression. He then squeaked in triumph and hopped off the roof.

"Wha—No!" the boy genius screamed in frustration. He stomped his foot and tugged at his hair. He had been so close! He knew she would've blurted out everything if only that stupid monkey hadn't gotten in his way!

Becky smiled at this and, when Bob came back, she ruffled his hair affectionately. He chirped once and handed her Angelface with a beam. "Nice going, Bob!" she complimented and placed her unicorn back on her shelf with care.

This angered Tobey even more and he pushed past them to leave. She frowned at this, but held Bob back from leaping onto the irritating young boy. "I'll handle this, Bob. In the mean time, you can rest up here and I'll bring you a big snack before dinner as a reward for saving Angelface. Okay?"

Her monkey-sidekick didn't like the idea of staying put when he could've helped out, but the idea of a large snack did sound tempting. Besides, Becky could handle the annoying kid, right? Bob crossed his arms but eventually nodded in agreement. He squeaked something that might've been a "Be careful".

The superheroine smiled reassuringly and patted her friend on the head. She then turned around to have a little _chat_ with Theodore McCallister the Third….

* * *

**A/N: So, what do you think? Is everyone in-character? I'm not so sure since I'm not used to writing for this fandom.**

**Urgh, I spent about half an hour searching for a special dictionary that Becky might have that would also be old at the same time. And of all the things for it to be called too...**

**A****lso, in case you guys are wondering, Emergency Plan Forty-Seven is when Captain Huggyface has to dress up as WordGirl in case Becky can't. This showed up in the original shorts, or at least, the ones with Tobey in them.**

**Again, reviews are greatly appreciated! You'll get cookies if you do! If you don't like cookies, well... I have some...Cheetos? XD**

**I have no idea when I'll update the next chapter, but I hope you'll be able to wait until I do! X3 Thanks!**


	2. Deny, Deny, Deny (Lie, Lie, Lie)

**A/N: Hey there! Here's Chapter Two for you guys! :D Hope you enjoy reading! I know I had fun writing this one!**

**In case any of you are wondering, I got the name for the chapter title from the movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules.**

**There's this scene where Rodrick (the main character Greg's older brother) insists that Greg "deny, deny, deny" no matter how hard their parents push them on whether or not they had a party at their house.**

**The scene then transitions to Greg and his friend Rowley at school, where the more innocent boy grumbles, "Sounds to me like 'lie, lie, lie'". **

**So, yeah…. That's how I got the idea of what to call this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: You know, if WordGirl were mine, Tobecky would've been canon a long time ago….**

* * *

**Chapter Two:**

**Deny, Deny, Deny**

**(Lie, Lie, Lie)**

**(Psst! Listen for the words **_**lie **_**and **_**vain**_**)**

The Narrator began to recap. "When we last saw _WordGirl_, Tobey had arrived to expose Becky as our favorite superheroine! He even tried using Angelface to get her to tell him what he wants! Oh, the horror of it all! The madness! The—"

"Oh, shut it," the boy genius snapped.

Tobey trudged down the stairs, embarrassed and furious that a_ monkey_ foiled his perfectly evil plan to expose Becky as WordGirl once and for all. He grumbled to himself all the way down, only to bump into Tim Botsford.

"Oh!" the older man exclaimed in surprise, glancing down. Tobey's glasses became askew from this unexpected occurrence, causing him to scowl. "Whoops! Sorry about that, Tobey!"

Tim scrunched his eyebrows then put a hand to his chin. "Wait, why are you here? What were you doing up there anyway?"

The boy genius didn't feel like answering his questions, but luckily, he didn't have to. Rushing downstairs like a madwoman, Becky shouted, "Hold it right there, Tobey! I'm not letting you go _that _easily!"

Tim smiled at his daughter and greeted, "Oh! Hi, Becky! What were you and Tobey doing?"

She glared at the boy genius as she slowly responded, "…Nothing. He just…came over for a little."

Tobey shook his head at this pathetic excuse and began, "Actually, I came over because I think _Becky_ here is really—"

"Bored!" she yelled, startling both her father and Tobey. "Yeah, I got…um…super bored, and Violet and Scoops are busy doing…stuff, so I called him so we could hang out!" She felt a twinge of disgust at this lie, not just because it was terrible, but also because she forced herself to pretend that Tobey was actually her _friend._ As if.

Tim Botsford stared at his daughter with a weirded-out expression and wondered, "Becky, why are you shouting?"

"Yes, Becky. You're killing my eardrums," Tobey chimed in.

She paused to come up with an excuse then blurted out, "Because I'm happy! I'm really happy that he's here!" For emphasis, she grasped his hand and jumped up and down excitedly. The boy genius jerked his hand away, his eyes wide and face pink.

Her dad glanced from the taken aback Tobey to his hyperactive daughter, who seriously hated herself for acting happy about _Tobey_, with confusion. Suddenly, an understanding grin stretched across his face and he declared, "Oh…I get what's going on here…."

Becky stiffened, a sense of dread overcoming her. "You…do?"

He nodded. "Yup." He winked at the two eleven-year-olds. "You cute kids…. Why didn't you guys tell me sooner? Are you just being shy?"

They stared up at him, baffled. Becky decided to speak up, "Dad…what are you talking about?"

Her father merely chuckled. "Oh, don't pretend like you don't know…. You two like each other, right?"

"WHAT?!" Becky shrieked.

Tobey nervously pulled at his collar and stuttered, "M-Me? A-And B-Becky? I-I think you have the wrong idea, M-Mr. Botsford…." His face felt hot and his gaze dropped to the floor.

It took a moment before the plucky superheroine could find her voice. "Tobey…and I? No, no, no, no, no, NO! Dad, I'm not…_in love_ with him! I can't _stand _him! He's a villain! One of my enemies! Not my boy—" She nearly choked on the word. "Boy…friend…." Her face became red and she looked away.

For some reason he couldn't place, Tobey felt hurt by her outburst. _She can't stand me? I'm…I'm not_ that _bad, am I? _he wondered, furrowing his eyebrows.

Tim stared at his daughter, who was still freaking out over what he just said, and wondered aloud, "Wait, huh? If you can't stand Tobey, then why'd you call him over to hang out?"

_Shoot,_ Becky cursed mentally. "Because…" she grumbled hesitantly, "Because…I think I want to…try…being friends…." She cleared her throat and added, "Or at least see if I can tolerate him for more than a few minutes."

Her father shrugged at this response. "Oh, okay. That's awful nice of you to do, Becky. I think Tobey here would like a friend." Then he strolled away to do the laundry, whistling a tune.

The boy genius's head shot up. He was about to retort that he didn't _need_ friends, especially a friend like Becky Botsford, but the words seemed to stick in his throat. So, he remained silent, instead glancing over at his rival.

As soon as her father was out of earshot, Becky turned to him and growled, "Don't you get any weird ideas, Tobey. I _definitely_ don't want to be friends with you. I was just telling my dad that because—"

"That wasn't merely telling him. That was _lying_," he cut in with irritation. "Do you lie to your parents often?"

Her eyes widened at this question. After a few hesitant seconds, she stuttered, "N-No…."

He narrowed his eyes and let a small smile play on his lips. "Oh, I see…. Well, I imagine, what with you being WordGirl, you would have to. It must be tough."

Becky sighed. "Oh yeah. You have no idea…." She gasped when she realized what she just revealed and hastily added, "You have no idea…how wrong you are about that! Yup! I'm not WordGirl, and I don't lie to my family on a daily basis whenever there's a crime in the city! Ha ha! Why would I do that? Lying's bad!"

He made a face at her rambling. He thought he caught her…until she kept denying it in a falsetto voice. Were these more lies, or was Becky just a strange girl? If so, that would be very disappointing. He could've spent his afternoon in a more productive manner rather than wasting his time hanging out with her.

However, he still had this feeling somewhere inside him that there was more to Becky than she let on. He _had_ to know if it was because she was really WordGirl or not.

Tobey cleared his throat. "Hm…. Well, if _that_ was so, then there's no need for you to yell at me about it, or defend yourself so much either. Your words act as reverse psychology and make me believe that you are WordGirl even more." He didn't really think that, but if his statement unnerved her, he would.

"Reverse psychology? I don't know what that could possibly mean! You're really smart, Tobey!" she exclaimed, her eyes darting around the room.

That did it. Becky Botsford, complimenting him? This was absolute proof that either the world was ending or she was WordGirl. The latter seemed the more likely option. He decided to play along, humor her a little before he asked more questions.

He ran a hand through his hair with an arrogant smirk. "Oh, yes, I know. Smarter than even _you_, perhaps?" the boy genius asked, only to see how she'd react.

The superheroine wrinkled her nose, finally focusing on him. "What? Of course not. I never implied that. I'm _way_ smarter than you."

His smirk faded. Oh, how a girl could wound a boy's pride with her words…. "Ever the vain one, hm, Becky?" he grumbled angrily.

She was taken aback by this. "What? I'm not vain! I'm not exactly modest either, but—"

"Shall I define the word for you?" he cut in. He almost laughed at her enraged expression. Before she could say anything, Tobey recited, folding his hands behind his back, "To be vain means to be extremely proud of something about yourself, such as your appearance, qualities, or in your case, your intelligence."

"I _know_ what vain means! And I'm not—"

"Oh, I beg to differ." He reached in his pocket and took out the tape recorder, rewinding the tape a little to the part he wanted to hear.

"_Ha! You _really_ think you can outsmart me this time, Tobey? Good luck,_" her voice taunted, making her scowl.

As soon as he stopped the tape, she proclaimed, "It's not like you're the most humble boy on the planet either, Mr. 'World's-Most-Formidable-Boy-Genius'." She mimicked the way he talked, which he found to be very insulting.

He blinked. "Was that supposed to be me? Your accent is terrible."

"And yours is fake."

_Ouch._ He blushed, but whether it was in embarrassment or rage, he couldn't tell. Tobey frowned and hunched over slightly. "I-I never said that I _wasn't_ vain…."

He furrowed his eyebrows at this. "Oops. That was a double negative. I meant to say—"

"I could follow. I'm not dumb," Becky snapped.

He shut his mouth, unsure of what else to say. He glanced down at his hands and tapped his forefingers together in a fit of nerves.

"I thought you were gonna leave," she said, confused as to why he was just standing there.

The boy genius looked up, startled. His eyes then flickered away and he muttered, "Ah, yes…I was…." He then straightened his back and affirmed, "Be warned, Becky! I will be back tomorrow and prove that you are indeed WordGirl!"

"Just go…" the superheroine ordered wearily, gesturing towards the front door.

Tobey's smug attitude faltered when he noticed that she was really irritated with him. He blinked rapidly but moved past her to leave.

He paused in the doorway and yelled, just to be dramatic, "Remember, Botsford! Tomorrow—"

"Yeah, yeah. Tomorrow. I get it," she said flatly.

He scowled at her indifference and slammed the door behind him. Becky winced a little and looked back, watching him stomp away through her window. She turned around and stared at the floor, still feeling infuriated at being insulted so much and yet…empty at the same time.

Normally, she didn't let Tobey get to her, but today felt different. He was persistent, as always, but he had also managed to hit a nerve by mocking both her intelligence and integrity.

Becky headed up the stairs, her expression solemn as she thought. _Tobey is alarmingly observant when he wants to be…. Did he really try empathizing with me about the fact that I have to lie a lot, or was it just a ruse for me to slip up and reveal something I shouldn't? _She grimaced. _I almost did back there. It's a good thing he believed me…or didn't he? I don't know anymore…. _

The superheroine jolted when she realized exactly how much she had had to lie just in that one instance. Her first impulse whenever someone mentioned something even remotely related to WordGirl was to lie, and to keep building on that lie until whoever she was fooling believed her. It usually didn't take too much, but, as much as she hated to admit it, Tobey was a very smart boy, and thus, harder to lie _to_. He picked up details many others in the city would overlook, even if it was something minute. A change in mood, the words she used, he used anything, and everything, to use as evidence that she was WordGirl. Was it because he liked her?

This brought a rush of heat to her face. The very notion in itself was strange. Tobey, evil boy genius, was head-over-heels for a superhero, of all people, yet despised her secret identity? It sounded comical, even to her, but it also made no sense. So, what was his true intention now in trying to get Becky to admit that she held a secret double-life?

The young girl was beginning to get a headache from all of this and shuffled into her room. Bob was lying in his hammock, but he sat up when she came in.

He squeaked, asking her how it went. She merely shook her head and face-planted onto her bed with a groan. All this wondering about one of her enemies couldn't be good for her. She might start sympathizing with them, and where would that lead? Nowhere good, as far as she could see.

She turned to lie on her side and started, "Bob? I have a question for you."

The monkey squeaked once, which she understood as "Shoot."

"Do you think I lie a lot?" She had been hesitant to ask, but knew she wanted the answer all the same.

Bob tilted his head and chirped a few times, which she interpreted as "No. You're not a lazy person, Becky." He seemed confused.

She smiled at this and shook her head again, sitting up. "No, not '_lie_' as in 'to lie down or rest', but as in 'to knowingly not tell the truth'. For example, every time I have to leave my family to go save the city, I have to _lie_ about where I'm going so they don't suspect that I'm WordGirl."

Bob had sensed that she was sad when she came in, but he hadn't expected this. He scratched his head, puzzled on how to answer without hurting his friend's feelings. He then jumped out of his hammock to sit next to her and patted her back.

The monkey spoke in a combination of squeaks, chirps, and gestures, all of which Becky understood. He had told her yes, but also that it was necessary for her to do it. She had a city to protect, so her lying was done with good intentions, even if her excuses were a little weak at times. He also said that she shouldn't worry about it too much, but, if it does become hard on her, then she should tell her family and friends who she really is. They'd understand, and still love her no matter what.

Becky smiled at her good friend and gave him a hug, which he returned promptly. "Thanks, Bob. I feel so much better now. It's just, Tobey brought it up while we were downstairs, and I guess I got upset because he's so…perceptive. He figured out that I lie a lot, and even sort of pointed that out to me. I usually don't give lying much thought, but if even a villain has to scold me about it, then hasn't it turned into a bad habit?"

He frowned at this and shook his head. Bob placed his hand on her shoulder and chirped a couple of times, which she recognized as "Becky, like I said, if the lie comes with good intentions, then it's not a bad thing. I know you're a good person."

Her smile grew wider. She shouldn't have let that prick of a boy genius get to her.

She stood up and exclaimed, "Bob, I forgot to get the snack I promised you! Let's go downstairs and I'll whip up something nice."

Bob rubbed his stomach in appreciation, licking his lips as he thought of all the possible foods she could make for him. The two headed down, and Becky felt lighter than she had for a while.

* * *

**A/N: I know Tobey and Becky were kind of mean to each other in this chapter, but they're not supposed to like each other (yet *cough*). If it's any consolation, Becky did sort of think about him after he left. XD**

**I wanted to fit the Narrator into this chapter more, but then again, I wanted this chapter to have a sort of serious note that the show doesn't have (no offense), so….**

**Please review! Reviews make me happy, happiness makes me want to write, which in turn makes me write faster, and then you all get another chapter out faster! See? It's all one big circle that's good for everyone! :D**


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